. ♪ [ male announcer ] ready to rob your holiday cheer. joining us with information on how you can avoid holiday scams this season is credit counselor erica sandberg. erica, good morning. how are you today, and what is the latest in terms of scams that you're seeing this holiday season? > > good morning. of course, it is the holiday shopping season. people are online. they are looking for great deals. and this is where scamsters are going to focus their attention sometimes. so you really have to be hyper-aware as to whom you're buying something from and where you're sending your money. > in the aftermath of hurricane sandy, i know there were a lot of organizations that were ostensibly trying to raise money to help people. there was also kind of a concern about scammers there as well. are you familiar with that? > > yes. any time, literally, any time you are sending money, especially if you are sending cash and you're wiring it, you have to be so, so dedicated to checking out the organization or the person and making sure that all is as it